Judge of the Lamp

Chapter 425 Zhongliang Palace

Yu Shan led the Wuwei battalion to surround the penance workshop, two national workers walked out of the workshop, and shouted at Yu Shan: "General Wuwei, please take the soldiers back immediately, within a hundred feet of the courtyard wall , if you dare to get close, you will be responsible for life and death!"

Yu Shan glanced at Zhong Can, and Zhong Can said: "Order the whole army to retreat."

"Commander, the penance workshop is not small, if you step back a hundred feet, the brothers won't be able to surround it."

Zhong Shen sighed: "It's useless to surround it. I'm afraid I can't even count how many secret ways there are in the penance workshop. Back off immediately!"

When the sergeant retreated a hundred paces away, Zhong Can stepped forward alone and said, "I want to see your master, Ye Ansheng!"

A national worker shouted: "Master Ye is not in the workshop, Commander Zhong will come back sometime!"

Another national worker said: "Commander, don't go any further. You should know how many organs we have in this workshop. We don't want to hurt you."

Zhong Shen looked at the two national workers and said with a smile, "You all have seventh-rank cultivation, right?"

The two national workers were silent.

Zhong Shen sighed: "The road of the Mohist family is not easy. Starting from the ninth rank, you have to endure hardships. You have to hide your short knives and long swords, and you can't show any flaws when you move, sit, or lie down."

A national worker said with a smile: "Commander Zhong, you know a lot about our sect. I heard that you are also a Mohist."

"You heard me right, I am the Mo family!" Zhong Shen walked forward slowly, and said as he walked, "Don't be afraid of your jokes, I just entered the ninth rank, and I don't plan to practice anymore. I really can't bear this crime." ,

Later, my master told me that it would be fine to get to the seventh rank, and you don’t have to suffer any more when you reach the seventh rank.

I believed his words, and in the end, you have also reached the seventh rank, do you still have to suffer for it? "

The two national workers looked at each other, and they found that Zhong Shen had been walking towards the gate. Along the way, the traps all over the floor had not been triggered.

"I have worked so hard to get to the seventh rank. Actually, Master didn't lie to me. There is indeed a way to not be punished when I reach the seventh rank. If I am a craftsman, I can protect my food and clothing. If I am a policeman, I can protect myself." With a lifetime salary, the Mo family of the seventh rank will have a good life wherever they go,
But if you still want to continue to practice, you have to suffer even more. I don't have much ambition, I just want to spend my whole life at the seventh rank, but the master told me that if you are promoted to the fifth rank, you can be a master. You don't have to suffer any more in your life, guess what? "

While speaking, Zhong Shen was less than a hundred feet away from the two of them.

The two national workers desperately urged the organs, but there was no movement in all the organs.

Zhong Shen said again: "Later, I reached the fifth rank. With this level of cultivation, I can really live a life of being a master. I really don't want to practice anymore, but the master came to lie to me again, saying that on the day when I was promoted to the third rank, I would suffer no pain. You don’t need to eat, do you believe it? Do you think I still need to endure hardship now?”

After the words fell to the ground, Zhong Shen walked in front of the two of them.

Their faces were pale and they knelt on the ground.

Zhong Shen helped the two of them up: "What am I doing kneeling? I'm not here to arrest you. I'm your comrade and your senior. I just want to say something from my heart to you.
Cultivated to the seventh rank, how much hardship have you suffered?Don't you want to have two more good days? "

"Commander Zhong, I, we have blind eyes..."

"Lord Zhong, we all obey orders."

Zhong Shen asked carefully, "Whose orders did you follow?"

Guogong bowed his head and said, "I heard Fangzhu Ye's order."

"Master Ye is in the workshop?"

Another Guogong said: "We don't know about this either. We don't usually see Fangzhu Ye. It is Lu Qingming and Lu Guogong who are responsible for delivering the message."

"What did he say?"

"He said that within ten days, no one will be allowed to step into the workshop."

Zhong Shen's heart tightened, Ye Ansheng might not be in the penance workshop anymore.

"Take me to see him!" Zhong Shen waved his hand, and Yu Shan led the army to follow from behind.

As long as you follow Zhong Shen forward, there will be no movement in the organs along the way.

There are five major workshops in the penance workshop, which are called carpenter workshop, blacksmith workshop, potter workshop, stonemason workshop and miscellaneous workshop.

Lu Qingming, a national worker, was the owner of a small masonry workshop. When he arrived at Lu Qingming's residence, Lu Qingming was nowhere to be seen. Zhong Shen glanced at him, knocked twice on the bed, lifted the mattress, opened the bed board, and found the entrance to the tunnel.

Zhong Shen took out a flute from his bosom, put the flute into the tunnel, closed his eyes and listened for a moment, then told Yu Shan: "He hasn't run far, take a few people, wait at the west gate, and bring him back to me." !"

Yu Shan didn't dare to delay, and immediately led people to set off. Zhong Shen went to the craftsman building in the center of the penance workshop, which was the residence of Ye Ansheng, the owner of the penance workshop.

Lu Qingming had already run away, Ye Ansheng was definitely not in the workshop, he was already prepared at this hour.

Zhong Shen found a secret compartment under the bed. The secret compartment was nine feet long and wide. There was a slight smell of oil in it. It looked like a place to store weapons.

This dark box is empty.

There is also a hidden grid on the east wall, which is also empty.

Ye Ansheng took all the precious weapons away.

Basically, it can be confirmed that the one who went to Fuzhou to assassinate Xu Zhiqiong was Ye Ansheng himself.

Zhong Can asked the sergeants of the Wuwei camp to collect all the large and small objects in the craftsman building, and take them back to the Imperial City Division for careful inspection.

Not long after, Yu Shan sent the news that Lu Qingming, the owner of the small masonry workshop, was captured alive at the gate of the city.

Seeing Zhong Shen, Lu Qingming immediately fell to his knees: "Commander, I will act according to the instructions of the master of the workshop, and I will never have any ambiguity towards the Holy One!"

"What's the matter, let's talk about it in the palace!" Zhong Shen took Lu Qingming back to the palace.

Emperor Chang Le glanced at Lu Qingming, waved his hand lightly and said: "Kill it!"

Lu Qingming shouted repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I have been wronged, but I am not guilty!"

"Back then you were in the north of the city and recruited more than [-] laborers to go to the Ponuyuan hunting ground. Is there such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingming's face turned pale: "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with me. This is what the master of the workshop ordered me to do."

"What did he tell you to do?"

"Your Majesty, this is really not the minister's original intention. The palace was not built by the minister."

"Let me ask you, what did Ye Ansheng order you to do?"

"Your Majesty, I don't even know the reason. I will do whatever Da Fangzhu asks me to do!"

Emperor Chang Le frowned, and ordered Zhong Shen: "Ling Chi will be executed."

Lu Qingming wailed: "Your Majesty! Let me tell you! At that time, Ye Ansheng asked me to recruit two thousand laborers from the north of the city, and send them to Ponuyuan to go to the practice palace.

I recruited [-] laborers and sent them to Ponuyuan. I found that the palace had been repaired. I don’t know why, so I put these laborers in the palace first, and then reported the news to Da Fangzhu.
I just walked for such a stick of incense, and those people disappeared. I was also anxious afterwards, and asked Da Fangzhu what to do?Dafangzhu said that this matter has nothing to do with me, so I didn't bother to ask again, Your Majesty, I'm telling the truth! "

"So that's how it is." Emperor Chang Le nodded, looked at Zhong Shendao, "The masters at the Lantern Yamen were all brought to Fuzhou by Zhiqiong, right?"

Zhong Shen thought about it: "I didn't take all of them away, there are a few left."

"Is there anyone who will beat someone?"

"There must be!"

"Give you one night, can you make him tell the truth?"

Zhong Shen looked at Lu Qingming: "It shouldn't take a night."

"Then hurry up, I'll wait for your news!"

When Lu Qingming heard the words, he burst into tears, and Zhong Shen carried Lu Qingming and left the palace.

Two hours later, Lu Qingming made all the moves: "At the beginning, the master asked me to recruit two thousand laborers, and asked me to send me to Ponu Garden to plant trees."

"What tree to plant?"

"Blood tree."

Emperor Chang Le nodded and said: "Is this your first time planting a blood tree?"

"It's not the first time. Last year at the Hanako Festival, more than a thousand beggars were sent away, and blood trees were also planted."

Emperor Chang Le frowned tightly and said: "Let's talk about the Po Nu Garden first, how did you plant the blood tree?"

"Master Dafang first sent the Zhongliang Palace to Ponu Garden, and then I will send the two thousand laborers to the Zhongliang Palace."

Emperor Chang Le was taken aback: "What is Zhongliang Palace?"

"The Zhongliang Palace is the secret treasure of our penance workshop. It is said that it is a treasure left by the Emperor Taizu. It is designed to kill disobedient officials."

"Use the palace to kill courtiers?"

Lu Qingming nodded and said: "Master Dafang said that killing traitors is enough with one blow, but killing loyal ministers is not so easy. Zhongliang Palace is dedicated to killing loyal ministers.
The emperor invited his loyal ministers to Zhongliang Palace for a meal. Halfway through the meal, the emperor took the opportunity to leave and left the loyal ministers in the palace. The roof of the palace fell, and there was no one left in the palace. The emperor has nothing to do with it, that's what Zhongliang Palace is for. "

"And this kind of torture!" Emperor Chang Le was greatly surprised, and asked again, "After you killed these laborers, what did you do?"

"Next, according to the instructions of the master of the workshop, the crushed flesh and blood will be gathered together and sent to the dense forest of the hunting garden, and there will be people there to meet them."

"who?"

"There is a Suzaku cultivator, and there is also a foreigner, who is the foreigner, I really don't know, I have never seen it before!"

"How do these two people turn living people into blood trees?"

"I really don't know about this. When they cast spells, they don't let us see."

"Where is Zhongliang Palace?"

"Under the penance workshop, only the master of the workshop can move Zhongliang Palace."

Emperor Chang Le said to Zhong Shen: "You go to the penance workshop to see if you can get the Zhongliang Palace out."

Zhong Shen took the lead and left.

Emperor Chang Le looked at Lu Qingming and said, "Besides two thousand laborers and one thousand beggars, how many people have you killed?"

"Your Majesty, I didn't kill those people. They were all done by the master of the workshop. I'm just a errand."

Emperor Chang Le tilted his head and looked at Lu Qingming.

Lu Qingming didn't dare to argue anymore, and lowered his head and said, "There are still some refugees who came from the north, but that was after the war in the north."

Emperor Chang Le gritted his teeth and said: "During the war in the northern border, you tricked the refugees here and made them into blood trees?"

Lu Qingming lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I know you won't spare me, and I don't ask for anything else. Can you make my death easier?"

Emperor Chang Le nodded and said: "Do you know the whereabouts of these blood trees?"

"I know."

"To be honest, I'll give you a happy one."

(End of this chapter)